Evan Power says no national media wanted to cover a Governor debate

Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power said there’s no time left to organize a gubernatorial debate this month. Perhaps most importantly, no national TV outlets would carry it.

“I was told, quite frankly, by a national news outlet that, ‘You have a nominee. Why are we even talking about this?’” Power said.

The state party angered multiple campaigns when it canceled a planned debate at the Sunshine State Showdown after only one candidate for Governor, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, met pre-established debate criteria.

But Power said even if those rules were waived, the debate would lack the media reach of a similar one held by the state party the last time the Governor’s race was open. A June 2018 debate at that year’s Sunshine Summit, between then-U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis and then-Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, aired live on Fox News.

Many DeSantis supporters to this day feel that debate turned DeSantis’ bid around. Putnam had been considered a front-runner and was leading in polls days before the debate, but DeSantis quickly pulled ahead after the event and ultimately won the nomination, fueled largely by an endorsement from President Donald Trump. He later won two terms as Governor.

Perhaps based on that history, DeSantis has become the most prominent critic of the party decision to nix the debate.

“I think the Governor means well. I don’t think he understands the dynamics of what it takes to put on something like this, or a debate,” Power said. “It sounds very easy to say, ‘Let’s debate, let’s mix it up. It’s much harder to host these events and go through all the hurdles you have to host a debate.”

Power said the situation this year feels completely different from eight years ago. DeSantis in 2018 exceeded the 17% polling threshold, one set by Fox News, to participate in that debate. Power noted that entry requirements made that debate a two-podium event and kept six other candidates qualified for the Primary ballot off the stage.

At this debate, the state party required a 10% polling average in the month before the debate, as well as $10 million in campaign donations from 10,000 donors.

“Let’s be clear, if you have not raised enough money to communicate in our 12 media markets here in Florida, you’re not a viable candidate,” Power said.

That has upset three other campaigns regularly treated in media outlets as the Primary field, including Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, fund manager James Fishback and former House Speaker Paul Renner.

But Power said Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, in a state party-commissioned poll showed up effectively in a tie with candidates receiving almost no media attention like Bobby Williams.

“Paul Runner’s never polled, and he’s not polling, over 2%, so it’s very hard for me to get there,” Power said.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Speaker Renner and the work that he did in the Legislature, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for a Lieutenant Governor. The fact is that neither of them is polling in a place where they have a pathway to victory right now, so it gets very hard for me to put everyone on the stage to debate for the sake of debating when we all agree that you’d only make that stage if you had certain numbers.”

Power instead offered speaking slots to Collins, Renner and Williams. He briefly offered a place to Fishback, but that was rescinded after others, including U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, said they would not attend the event if Fishback was given time.

The event will include two other debates, for Republicans running in Florida’s 19th and 25th Congressional Districts. Both of those have competitive GOP Primaries. The regional debates don’t have a national TV partner and will be moderated by Florida Politics publisher Peter Schorsch, POLITICO Florida Paybook editor Kim Leonard and Axios White House reporter Marc Caputo, all reporters rooted in Florida.

Participation in that debate also had a fundraising requirement — only candidates who raised upward of $300,000 were eligible — but there was no polling requirement.

Power, a candidate for Congress himself in Florida’s 2nd Congressional District, said he never considered a debate for those candidates because of an appearance that he held an advantage at any Republican Party of Florida event.

The entire event will be livestreamed, Power said, and he expects regional media to cover the congressional debates or pick up the feeds.

“We also have a rather complex press list that’s already been credentialed, from The Wall Street Journal all the way down,” Power said.

But for the Governor’s race, Power said the focus of the party has necessarily shifted beyond the Primary battle. Despite an outcry on X about the decision to cancel, he said most in the party have lined up behind Donalds, including President Donald Trump.

“And I think what people are missing in this conversation is that the danger that exists at the Democrat side right now with David Jolly and Gwen Graham, who are an announced ticket that have minimal competition,” Power said.

Jolly faces a Democratic Primary but has been treated largely as the presumptive nominee since Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings suspended his own campaign this month. Jolly tapped Graham, a former U.S. Congresswoman, as a running mate last week.

“They’re already working on a General Election, and they sound moderate. They put on their little moderate hats and act like they’re regular, normal Floridians, but they would govern just like Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, radically left.”

Spanberger, formerly a Democratic Congresswoman, flipped the Governor’s mansion in Virginia in November.

Florida has trended red in recent years, with registered Republicans outnumbering Democrats by 1.5 million. But Power said he wants the party to remain focused on beating Democrats instead of one another.

“I’m focused on the General Election already, just because I see the danger that’s out there, and I will go and attack those guys,” he said.

“I think we have to go through the Primary process. People can vote for whoever they want, but I don’t believe in having a debate for the sake of a debate. And there is zero interest from TV networks to cover this. There is zero interest from most of the people that I talk to that are regular everyday people to have a debate for the sake of having a debate.”